Military families living on an air force base in Florida have been ordered to dismantle their Christmas decorations under a strictly enforced regulation that tells them when and where they are allowed to celebrate.
Residents of Tyndall air force base received a tersely-worded memo from their landlords, private housing contractor Balfour Beatty Communities, informing them that a de facto patrol of the installation had uncovered infractions of their lease agreements in the form of early holiday inflatables, lights and other festive adornments.
“While driving the neighborhoods yesterday, it was noticed that Christmas decorations have already begun to appear within the community,” the message, sent under the title “One holiday at a time”, said.
“All holiday decorations should be reflective in their respective months and not any sooner than 30 days before the given holiday. If you currently have Yuletide decor present on the outside of your home, please remove it and reinstall it in accordance with your community guidelines.”
The rule, copied below the message, prohibits the illumination of Christmas lights from the week after Thanksgiving, which this year falls on 27 November, until the third week of January. And even during that period they must be dark from 11pm until 6pm the following day.
In comments to an unofficial Facebook page for air force personnel that reproduced the memo, some posters welcomed the development, while others opposed it.
“People need to find joy however they can right now,” one commentator said.
But another said simply: “I mean, can we give Thanksgiving a chance?”
Tyndall’s public affairs chief, Capt Justin Davidson-Beebe, confirmed the authenticity of the directive in a statement to the military news website Task & Purpose, which first reported it. But he insisted the order was not issued by military commanders.
“These guidelines are not part of a broader air force policy,” he said. “Since community standards are set by the privatized housing management company at some installations, standards may vary from base to base.”
At Tyndall, he added: “They are enforcing the community standards outlined in the legally binding lease agreement all residents voluntarily sign.”
Private housing management companies still wield enormous power over military tenants, Task & Purpose noted, despite the passage during the Biden administration in 2020 of an extensive bill of rights signed by then-defense secretary Mark Esper and the chiefs of the army, navy and air force.
An order not to celebrate Christmas, or at least to delay it, seems at odds with Donald Trump’s often-repeated claims to have “saved” the festival from what he would term woke activists who insist on saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”.
While the president has not offered an opinion on the Tyndall directive, housing rules at military bases appear to have found favor with several of his political allies.
Last month The Atlantic reported that Stephen Miller, his influential policy adviser; Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary; and Marco Rubio, secretary of state; among several others, had all taken up residence in officers’ accommodation at a Washington-area installation, purportedly for their safety.
It is unknown if any have yet begun to hang their Christmas decorations.
